Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio pulled off one of the coups of the 2024 offseason when he acquired running back Joe Mixon for a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Mixon rushed for a team-high 1,016 yards and scored 11 touchdowns while adding 36 catches for 309 yards and another score, making Caserio look like a genius and reviving his career after he was expected to be cut by the Cincinnati Bengals despite four 1,000-yard seasons in his last six years with the team.
Mixon was a fantasy football darling, scoring points in bunches as he served as an offensive sparkplug when second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud struggled and Houston’s receiving corps was hit with injury after injury.
With Mixon being a focal point of offensive coordinator Nick Caley’s system, it presumably felt like a gut-punch when the Texans found out the two-time Pro Bowler not only wouldn’t be ready for their Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 7 but he would also miss three additional games as well, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
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Joe Mixon #28 of the Houston Texans carries the ball on a running play in front of Daiyan Henley #0 of the Los Angeles Chargers for a touchdown during the second half of the AFC…
Joe Mixon #28 of the Houston Texans carries the ball on a running play in front of Daiyan Henley #0 of the Los Angeles Chargers for a touchdown during the second half of the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at NRG Stadium on January 11, 2025 in Houston, Texas.
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“Texans are not activating running back Joe Mixon by Tuesday’s 4 pm ET deadline, making him ineligible to play at least the first four games this season due to an ankle injury,” Schefter reported. “Mixon will be moved to Reserve/Non-Football Injury, which automatically rules him out for at least four games.”
The good news for Texans fans is the team has two capable backups behind Mixon.
Houston signed four-time Pro Bowler Nick Chubb this offseason after parting ways with the Cleveland Browns.
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Nick Chubb #21 of the Houston Texans runs the ball against D.J. Wonnum #98 of the Carolina Panthers in the first half during the NFL Preseason 2025 game at NRG Stadium on August 16, 2025…
Nick Chubb #21 of the Houston Texans runs the ball against D.J. Wonnum #98 of the Carolina Panthers in the first half during the NFL Preseason 2025 game at NRG Stadium on August 16, 2025 in Houston, Texas.
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Though some still have some concerns about Chubb’s healthy after the brutal knee injury he suffered against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023, the 29-year-old appears to be in great shape and back to almost full strength.
Chubb had four straight 1,000-yard seasons with the Browns from 2019 to 2022, and he’s scored 56 total touchdowns in his seven NFL seasons.
The Texans also have Dameon Pierce — a former fourth-round pick who is just two years removed from his 939-yard, four-touchdown rookie season. Pierce saw his workload falloff drastically over the last two seasons, but he does have 20 games of starting experience under his belt.
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